Rim for vehicle-wheels.



J. C. LEWS.

RIM FOR VBHMLE WHEN APPLJUNTON IlLE) 001 .1 l-

1,127,785. Patented Feb. S? n,

nnrrnn sans To (1N 'uf/rom it may concern Be it. .known that L Jenna C. Lewis, a eitizen of the United States, residing at Brookline, in the eounty of lNorfollt and State ol Massaehuseits have .invented new and usei'ul Improvements in Rims for Veuiele-l\"l1eels, of which the following is a specitication.

This invention relates to improvements in rims for'vehicle wheels andpartieularly to rims used in connection with pneumatic tires, which consists of an expansible and contractihle head arranged within a groove in the permanent rim ot' the wheel to retain the tire in place thereon.

The object of the invention is to provide simple and` compact means adapted to quickly and conveniently clump said head in place on said permanent riln.

4".lllie object is further to provide a device adapted to quickly and securely lock Suid head clamping means.

The im ention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts whereby the above objects and certain other objects hereinafter appearing may he attained as set forth in the following specification and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Relerring to the drawings: Figure 1 a partial side elevation of a vehicle wheel. illustrating portions of a'rixn.y beads and tire together with the clamping device ern hodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail sectional View of the bead clamping device, parts of said bead and rim being broken away to save space and the dotted lines in said figure illustrating the nnclalnped po sition of said clamping means. Fig. 3 is a transverse section through a tire and rim taken on line 3-3 of Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a detail plan view ot' a portion ot' a locking lever and button. Fig. 5 is a detail view ot' the adjoining ends or the clamping bead, portions of said bead being rbroken away to .save space` inthe drawings. Fig. C is a detail section of one end of a contraetihle head illustrating a modified lforni of adjustable connection between the head and head contractingnieans.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings. y i

In the dra wings. 5 is a tire which may he of any of the well known types of tires and preferably arranged upon' a demountehle rim Specicatien et Letters Patent. lientil Fel?. 9, lgf

Application :Hed october 3323.

Serial Eo, G'l. 51.

3 and tofgether with said demonntahie rim seured ,.o a permanent rirn hy means of and eontractible head S. In the present instance, the deinountahle rim ti is provided with a. cyiindrital body portion haring at one edge thereof an annular ilange 1U, while et the opposite edge ot' said body portion is provided an annular recess 11 into which lits a bead 1:2 split at 13 to periuit said bead to he expanded when said tire is dellated, and removed whereby said tire may be removed from said. demountahle rim Upon inllating,r said tire the inner lips will be forced outwardly by the pressure of the air and said bead will consequently be lirxuly wedged or held in place within the recess 11. 'Io prevent said head from being sprung from its groove 1l upon the inilating of said tire, said recess is slightly inclined away from the central plane ot' rotation of said tire as it approaches the axis of the wheel upon which said tire is mounted, thus causing the corner le of said bead to undercut the corner 15 ol the liange 16 constituting the outer wall of said recess.

'l'o properly position or sup ort the deniountahle rim i5 on the perina nt rim, said permanent riin is provided with circurn lerential surfaces 1T and 18 which are adapt ed. to he engaged hy the faces 1%? and 2O re spertively of said deinountable rim. and at opposite edges of said rinn providing a space 21 between said demonntahle rim 6 and permanent rim 7 which extends substantially across the face of said demountable rim. rl`he permanent rini T. preferably upon the salue face of the wheelwhieh includes the recess 11 and head 12 is provided with an annular rer )12 whose outer wall 23 is inclined 1ou'mar-dif,` and away from the centrall T he bead 8 'plane of rotation or' said tire. is arranged within said recess S22 and is provide-d with two inclined faces and 25. 'lheinelined face 24 thereof is arranged to engage the outer 'i'ace of the 'flange 16, said outer faire being substantially-parallel with the inclined surface 11, while the inclined face Q5 of said bead is arranged to engage the inclined surface 23 of the outer wall of the annular recesSiQ. said faces 24 and 25 inelining in opposite directions.

The head S is furthermore splitat 27 permitting said head to be' expanded and con tracted. said bead lith-ing adjacent the ad oining ends thereof, 1ugs28 and 29. These ugs are preferably radially disposed relatively to the axis of said bead, while the lug 28 is adapted to carry a stud 30 having screw-threaded engagement therewith and arranged to be moved in the direction of the circumference of said bead for the purpose hereinafter set forth.

The lugs 28 and 29 are a/rranged in slots 31 and 32 respectively formed in the permanent rim 7 said slot 31 being open to the adjacent edge of the permanent rim 7 to facilitate the assembling of said bead Within theI recess 22. This slot isalso slightly elongated to permit a circumferential move ment of said lug 28 during the expansion or contraction of said bead. The other lug 29 is arranged within the slot 32 projecting therethrough to the inside of the rim and adapted to substantially fit said slot Whereby said bead will be properly positioned circumferentially of said permanent rim.

Means are provided for contracting the bead S after the same has been placed Within therecess 22, for the purpose of clamping said demountable rim 6 firmly upon said permanent rim with the surfaces 17 and 18 in contact with the surfaces 19 and 20 re spectively, said clamping resulting from the contacting and Wedging action between the surfaces 23 and 25 and the surfaces 24 and 26` which causes said demountable rim to be Areceive the rounded end 3G of the lever 33 and by placing said rounded end within said concavity and swinging the free end 38 of said lever outwardly against the inner periphery of the pernianent rim 7, from the positi.onindicated in dotted lines F ig. 2, to that illustrated in.full lines in said ligure the lugs 2S and 29 will be drawn toward each other and the bead 8 contracted and clamped within the recess 22. By this arrangement the lever 33 will be fulcrumed by said links 34 upon the stud 30, or in other vvordsh said lever is fulcrumed upon said bead and detachable therewith, said slot 31 having been extended to the outer edge of said rim toelear said lever and its connecting links during the springing of said bead 8 into the recess 22.

In placing said bead *.vithin said recess 22, as hcreinbeforc stated, the lng 29 substantially fits the slot 32 therehy preventing a circumferential movement vof said .lug 29 relatively to `the permanent rim 7. lThis has been provided forthe purpose of positioning the lever 33 Vin a certain position relatively to the permanent rim when said lever is moved outwardly to clanip or contract said bead and thereby causes said lever to occupyY the saine position relatively. .Y to said rim each time it is o peratcd to contract' i the bead. lo lock said lever in piace'against the inner periphery ol' said permanent rim, the point ol contact betvvcen the end 36 of the lever 33 and the lug 29 is preferably slightly inside of and out ot' alinenieiit with a plane containing the axes of the studs 35 and 35, while to still further retain sail lever against said rim a button 39 is ai'- ranged to swivel on said riin with the inner face At0 thereotl ata slight distance from the face of said rim. A. slot 4 l extending longitudinally of the free end ofv the lever 33 is arranged to register with said button 39 when said button is turned with its long dimension extending circiiiiii'erentially. relatively to said riin. This permits said lever to be moved to contact `with the permanent rim and while in said contacting position said button may be turned at right angles from the position hereiubeforo mentioned to that shown in Fig. 1, or with its long dimension extending transversely of said riui thus locking said lever against said rini. To prevent the jarring loose of said lever while in its locked position the free end 38 thereof is made slightly resilient and as said lever is swung outwardly toward said rim it is adapted to contact with said rim substantially at a point 42 and in order to move the extremity of said lever far enough to permit the button 39 to be rotated said lever must be slightly deflected.

In the outer face of the lever 33 a transverse slot or notch 43 is provided into which the inner face 40 of the button 39 is adapted to rest, when said button is turned to the position illustrated in Fig. 1, and said notch together with the pressure caused by the springing of said lever positively prevents the unlocking or working loose ol' said parts. During the contracting operation of said bead, or at least :it the beginning oll said operation, the lpressure of the lever 33 against the lug 29 will he substantially in the direction of the rim or outwardly and at this time there will be la tendency of' said lug 29 to push back through the slot 32. As a safeguard to prevent the movement ltereinbefore stated the lug 29 is notched at 44 and into this notch a spur 45 on the perma- -nent rim is adapted to project.

To increase or diminish the contraction of the bead 8 the lever 33 may biereleased by thev button-43 and the end ofsaid head, including the lug 28, sprun "outwardly from the recess 22, or said lieagf may be entirely removed, if desired, and the stud 30 to which the links .34- are attached may be rotated .and moved in one direction or the other circumferentially of said bead which will cause loo engage the notches in said lug and said mit respectively to prevent the rotation of. said nut relatively to Suid leg in one direction, a lover pivotully conneced to smid Stull adapted to engage the other of said lugs to contract said head, and means to lool; said lever in u 'position to reain mid bend contracted.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my .hand m presence of two subscribing vub 10 messes.

JAMES C. LEXVIS.

Witnesses:

CHARLES S. GOODING, SYDNEY E. TAM'. 

